“I’ve had Emily Blunt out front since we opened the predictions center for the Golden Globes,” boasts Gold Derby contributor Sam Eckmann about the “Mary Poppins Returns” star. “The Globes have been a huge part of elevating her career … There’s nostalgia to it, it’s emotional, she sings. It kind of ticks all the boxes for a Globe voter.” Eckmann discussed this year’s Golden Globe film nominees along with fellow contributors ZachLaws, Kevin Jacobsen and myself. Watch it above.

Laws agrees that Blunt will win Best Film Comedy/Musical Actress. He notes that in addition to “Mary Poppins” “she’s in another movie this year, ‘A Quiet Place,’ which shows her range.” And Blunt has been working the parties around Hollywood like a pro while her main competition, Olivia Colman (“The Favourite“), hasn’t been able to since she is off shooting the new season of “The Crown.”

But Jacobsen warns us not to count out Colman. “She still has a shot. I don’t think it’s totally a done race here because she does have a little more of the gravitas.” He also gives the Globes credit for nominating such an eclectic field of contenders in this category, which also includes Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”), Charlize Theron (“Tully”) and Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians”).

Elsewhere on the ballot, I was especially surprised by the absence of Sam Elliott, who missed out on a nomination for Best Film Supporting Actor for “A Star is Born.” Could this hurt his chances of an Oscar nomination? Not to worry, argues Laws, who doesn’t just think that Elliott has a good shot of an Oscar nomination but also a decent shot at winning in the same way Alan Arkin did in 2006 for “Little Miss Sunshine” after he was snubbed at the Globes. And Eckmann believes Elliott will rebound in the upcoming SAG Award nominations. “I definitely see him getting in there, and I don’t think it’s the end of the road for him.”

It’s not just “A Star is Born” that missed out on a major nomination In addition to Elliott, Eckmann points out “If Beale Street Could Talk” getting into the Best Screenplay category but Barry Jenkins missing out in Best Director, Spike Lee getting into Best Director for “BlacKkKlansman” but missing out on Best Screenplay, and “Mary Poppins Returns” missing out on a Best Original Song nomination.

Speaking of Best Director, Jacobsen makes the case that Alfonso Cuaron is out front for “Roma.” “They are going to respect the film and … I assume they’re gonna go for Bradley Cooper in Best Actor [for ‘A Star is Born’], but I also think there’s a possibility for Spike Lee because he definitely is a celebrity among these directors.” Laws argues that Adam McKay should also be taken seriously since “Vice” scored the most nominations and he has a Globes IOU since they didn’t give him a win for “The Big Short” three years ago.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Cuaron ends up claiming both the Best Director prize and Best Foreign Language Film as the Globes have done that several times before: “They did that in 2000 when Ang Lee won both for ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and in 2007 when Julian Schnabel, an American director, won both categories for ‘The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.'”

What do you think of our early picks? Are we right on target or completely out to lunch? Watch our slugfest above and discuss this and more with your fellow movie fans in our forums.

Be sure to make your Golden Globe predictions so that Hollywood insiders can see how their films and performers are faring in our odds. You can keep changing your predictions until winners are announced on January 6. And join in the fierce debate over the 2019 Golden Globes taking place right now with Hollywood insiders in our movie forums. Read more Gold Derby entertainment news.

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